Transdermal Drug Delivery Enhancement by Compounds of Natural Origin 英文参考文献.docVIP

Molecules 2011, 16, 10507-10540; doi:10.3390/molecules161210507 OPEN ACCESS molecules ISSN 1420-3049 /journal/molecules Review Transdermal Drug Delivery Enhancement by Compounds of Natural Origin Lizelle T. Fox, Minja Gerber, Jeanetta Du Plessis and Josias H. Hamman * Unit for Drug Research and Development, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa; E-Mails:nwu.ac.za (L.T.F.); Minja.Gerber@nwu.ac.za (M.G.); Jeanetta.duPlessis@nwu.ac.za (J.D.P.) * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: Sias.Hamman@nwu.ac.za; Tel.: +27-18-299-4035; Fax: +27-18-293-5219. Received: 11 November 2011; in revised form: 3 December 2011 / Accepted: 9 December 2011 / Published: 16 December 2011 Abstract: The transdermal route of administration offers an alternative pathway for systemic drug delivery with numerous advantages over conventional routes. Regrettably, the stratum corneum forms a formidable barrier that hinders the percutaneous penetration of most drugs, offering an important protection mechanism to the organism against entrance of possible dangerous exogenous molecules. Different types of penetration enhancers have shown the potential to reversibly overcome this barrier to provide effective delivery of drugs across the skin. Although certain chemical and physical skin penetration enhancers are already employed by the pharmaceutical industry in commercially available transdermal products, some skin penetration enhancers are associated with irritating and toxic effects. This emphasizes the need for the discovery of new, safe and effective skin penetration enhancers. Penetration enhancers from natural origin have become popular as they offer several benefits over their synthetic counterparts such as sustainable mass production from a renewable resource and lower cost depending on the type of extraction used. The aim of this article